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DESCRIPTION Large Antique Irish Georgian solid sterling silver two handled sugar basin with beautiful engraved decoration. Typical Irish construction, large and robust but what sets this example apart is the condition and quality of the bright-cut and engraved decoration. When I found this piece it had been neglected for very many years and was thick with dirt. This neglect and lack of use has left us with this remarkable survivor presenting us with bright-cut decoration almost as crisp as the day it was cut over two hundred years ago. One of the paw feet had been pushed up a bit into the body and then imperfectly corrected leaving the piece rocking. My silversmith has addressed this and also undertaken a thorough clean and polish. The original assayer's scrape is still visible under the base as a series of roughly parallel lines. There is also evidence of an original casting flaw around the foot that had been pushed up. Unlikely to have been the cause of the foot issue but likely to have been exposed by the first attempt to bend the foot out. A tiny gas bubble was trapped inside the original ingot of silver and was hammered flat along with the silver. It sat there unnoticed until it was disturbed and caused a partial flaking of the thin layer of silver above. Not a condition issue to be concerned about at all but more an interesting feature of early silver work. Today the silver mix is much more controlled and this would not happen but back then and earlier it was a common issue.
SILVERSMITH James Le Bas
DATE or HALLMARK 1814
ASSAY OFFICE Dublin
WEIGHT in GRAMS 258
LENGTH inc. handles 8 ¼", 212mm
SILVER STANDARD ·925 sterling silver
CONDITION very good, partial fracture and possible old repair to one lower handle section that is stable now and of no concern but could be worth keeping an eye on if you intend this basin for heavy use. I suspect a weakness was caused by the gaseous mix issues discussed above.

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SOLD
Price £348
item number m7873
Available Sugar Bowls
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